Rome, 21 May (LaPresse) – “Never, ever, ever in my life would I have imagined such a thing. None of us would.” These are the words of Salim El Koudri’s sister, the young man who drove his car into a crowd in Modena last Saturday, in an audio recording released by his lawyer, Fausto Gianelli. The account paints a picture of a young man considered by everyone to be beyond reproach. ‘He was always a good lad, top of the class. Studious, precise, tidy, always clean, even in his own room. He was the perfect student and son.’ Only in recent months did something seem to have changed. ‘We saw him as different, conflicted. But we thought it was the frustration of not finding a job at thirty. We would never have imagined anything like this.’ His sister describes a normal family life, without conflicts or obvious warning signs. “We grew up together, we never had problems with anyone, with neighbours or other people. We were fine. I don’t understand what happened.” Her grief, however, and her thoughts, are focused above all on the victims. “All we can do is think of the lady who will never walk again, the families torn apart, but also the people who witnessed it. It’s horrific.” And she concludes: “Saying ‘I’m sorry’ will never be enough. Never, never, never.”
Modena, El Koudri’s sister: “I never would have imagined something like this; he’d changed recently”
Rome, 21 May (LaPresse) – “Never, ever, ever in my life would I have imagined such a thing. None of us would.” These are the words of Salim El Koudri’s sister, the young man who drove his car into a crowd in Modena last Saturday, in an audio recording released by his lawyer, Fausto Gianelli. The account paints a picture of a young man considered by everyone to be beyond reproach. ‘He was always a good lad, top of the class. Studious, precise, tidy, always clean, even in his own room. He was the perfect student and son.’ Only in recent months did something seem to have changed. ‘We saw him as different, conflicted. But we thought it was the frustration of not finding a job at thirty. We would never have imagined anything like this.’ His sister describes a normal family life, without conflicts or obvious warning signs. “We grew up together, we never had problems with anyone, with neighbours or other people. We were fine. I don’t understand what happened.” Her grief, however, and her thoughts, are focused above all on the victims. “All we can do is think of the lady who will never walk again, the families torn apart, but also the people who witnessed it. It’s horrific.” And she concludes: “Saying ‘I’m sorry’ will never be enough. Never, never, never.”
